2023 NHL Entry Draft

[Goldenhands]

Haven't watched him really. I know of him but watching European pro for just one player is painful.

Personally the only way I have to scout a player is to fucuss 100% on him to miss nothing in term of positioning, IQ, ect. When I have 2 or more prospects to watch at the same time, I have to rewatch the game or make alot of rewind.

 

[calder candidate]

Let’s say floridas pick ends around 15/16…do you think that’s too early to take Hrabel or Bjarnason, or do we trade down to select a goalie?

I think it might little early so if you are able to trade down you do but if that is your player and you think someone else might take him I would not have any issues. I like Hrabal a lot he has very good he is 4-3 with 2.64GAA 926s% and other goalie is 1-5 4.97 GAA 876S% so you know Is stats are a product of the team in front of him…

 

[Mrb1p]

Let’s say floridas pick ends around 15/16…do you think that’s too early to take Hrabel or Bjarnason, or do we trade down to select a goalie?

Ew, I wouldnt. I know the team is starved for goaltending but it is also starved for talent.

Lets not forget we got Guhle and Caufield and Suzuki was drafted around this spot. (13/15/17.)

Is there a lot of goalies in the league youd swap these guys for? None for me, maybe Oettinger for Guhle? Nah, thats crazy.

Who is your favorite RHD? Any fast mean ones with boomer shots that can fight?

Reinbacher, hes pretty mych exactly that. Though not "mean", but he is a physical player. Has a seeing eye shot, good skater. I did a little scouting report on him a few pages ago.

 

[SOLR]

It's a weak D class all around,

Allen is the best RHD but hasn't really played all that well this year. He's got a good shot but not really a boomer.. he's physical and a good skater, but is 5'11.

He had a challenging time in the CHL (then as a defensive D you have to worry about the team aspect since he's not going to fill the net offensively), but his Hlinka was awesome.

 

[WeThreeKings]

He had a challenging time in the CHL (then as a defensive D you have to worry about the team aspect since he's not going to fill the net offensively), but his Hlinka was awesome.

Ritchie having a similar experience.

 

[1000eeer]

Best RHD: Hunter Brzustewicz
Best LHD: Mikhail Gulyayev

Both should not be considered top 10 picks as we speak.

 

[Playmaker09]

Ritchie having a similar experience.

Ritchie wasn't that impressive at the Hlinka. Prime example of insane puck luck in a small sample size.

Yager, Benson, Allen, Gauthier, Cristall, Barlow, Heidt all looked better on Canada (in that order IMO).

 

[Frozenice]

Best RHD: Hunter Brzustewicz
Best LHD: Mikhail Gulyayev

Both should not be considered top 10 picks as we speak.

Wouldn’t that be crazy if we didn’t have a D-man or US born player in the Top 10. That would seem statistically impossible and I can’t see it happening but we’ll see how the season progresses.

 

[The Great Weal]

This would be the year to trade up from FLAs pick with our 2nd.

 

[Mrb1p]

Hodnett sounds like a promising kid

 

[calder candidate]

This would be the year to trade up from FLAs pick with our 2nd.

There are always player that slip to the 2nd if we can move up using 3/4th round pick or b prospect not a issue but not sure I would use a 2nd to move up…

 

[The Great Weal]

There are always player that slip to the 2nd if we can move up using 3/4th round pick or b prospect not a issue but not sure I would use a 2nd to move up…

Usually I agree, but man we already got so many forward prospects and most of them will have to get traded if they amount to anything.

 

[montreal]

Spencer Sova sounds interesting, went undrafted last year but is one of the top goal scoring bluliners in the OHL this year just ahead of Mailloux.

 

[Nicko999]

This would be the year to trade up from FLAs pick with our 2nd.

How exactly do you want to trade up when we have 1st and 2nd overall?

 

[Egresch]

Ew, I wouldnt. I know the team is starved for goaltending but it is also starved for talent.

Lets not forget we got Guhle and Caufield and Suzuki was drafted around this spot. (13/15/17.)

Is there a lot of goalies in the league youd swap these guys for? None for me, maybe Oettinger for Guhle? Nah, thats crazy.

After 24/25 when both Price and Allen contracts are over, there might be some interesting free agent goalies available: Vasilevskiy, Shesterkin, Saros UFA and Knight and Oettinger RFA. By that time this team could be ready to contend and most of bad contracts should be gone.

 

[SOLR]

Ritchie wasn't that impressive at the Hlinka. Prime example of insane puck luck in a small sample size.

Yager, Benson, Allen, Gauthier, Cristall, Barlow, Heidt all looked better on Canada (in that order IMO).

I think Allen looked much, much, better than Benson.

And I love Benson. Allen was just in control of the game as much as Yager was.

 

[TheGr8Cornholio]

I think Allen looked much, much, better than Benson.

And I love Benson. Allen was just in control of the game as much as Yager was.

I thought Allen was dominant at the Hlinka, for sure. He was stronger than most of the players out there. His skating looked great and he was the PP QB.

I just wonder if he’s gonna be able to impose his will against bigger and stronger players as he is not the biggest guy at 5’11. Might work well against players his age but I’m not sure he’ll be able to do the same once he gets to the next level.

 

[SOLR]

I thought Allen was dominant at the Hlinka, for sure. He was stronger than most of the players out there. His skating looked great and he was the PP QB.

I just wonder if he’s gonna be able to impose his will against bigger and stronger players as he is not the biggest guy at 5’11. Might work well against players his age but I’m not sure he’ll be able to do the same once he gets to the next level.

Players his age are bigger than him too. The core issue here is more one of maturing his body to become an adult while evolving more aspects of his game. Often a challenging thing to do at the same time and that's why many Ds only realize their game after 25 years old. But he's so far along that path and competitive like a bull.

 

[FourQuarters]

I think Allen looked much, much, better than Benson.

And I love Benson. Allen was just in control of the game as much as Yager was.

Players need to defend themselves by their performance. Allen had a tough start this season, he needs to show more.
Benson is one of the best player at the hlinka, maybe even delete "one of". He is the reason why his linemates look great

 

[CapSpace]

Let’s say floridas pick ends around 15/16…do you think that’s too early to take Hrabel or Bjarnason, or do we trade down to select a goalie?

Hrabel looks more and more like a sure 1st round pick. If he keeps showing it, I'd be down to pick him between 15 and 20.

-Vasilievski : 19th in 2012
-Oettinger : 26th in 2017
-Knight : 13th in 2019

Not established yet :

-Askarov : 11th 2020
-Cossa : 15th 2021
-Wallstedt : 20th 2021

We have more than one first round pick, and maybe Kent can get more. We'll need to aim for a talented goalie sooner than later.

 

[Beer and Chips]

How exactly do you want to trade up when we have 1st and 2nd overall?

OOh, you're greedy. I'm content with Bedard.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Hrabel looks more and more like a sure 1st round pick. If he keeps showing it, I'd be down to pick him between 15 and 20.

-Vasilievski : 19th in 2012
-Oettinger : 26th in 2017
-Knight : 13th in 2019

Not established yet :

-Askarov : 11th 2020
-Cossa : 15th 2021
-Wallstedt : 20th 2021

We have more than one first round pick, and maybe Kent can get more. We'll need to aim for a talented goalie sooner than later.

and if Hrabal goes.. then you can take Barnason or Fowler. As soon as one goalie goes though, we gotta make the move.

I'm still high on Dobes but less so than I was a year ago.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Reinbacher is verrrrry interesting, good for Austria, could turn into a Seider situation.

Also, IMO the Gulyayev Russia problem is not as big a factor as Michkov.

Obviously there is uncertainty in the region, but if you remember before the war, Michkov was already dropping in the rankings because of his contract.

The contract is a bigger factor than the current war.

Michkov is projected to go top-3 and be NHL ready next year, but can't play in the NHL until the 2026-27 season.

Gulyayev projected to go 10-20, but probably won't be NHL ready for 2 years anyway. He's only signed for 2 more years so it is much less of an issue letting him play out his contract and then jump straight to the NHL, like Romanov - considering that would be the normal development trajectory for someone drafted in the 10-20 range. You aren't wasting years of your asset with him.

However, with Russia, things could get significantly worse or better in the blink of an eye. Maybe Putin goes extra crazy and doesn't let any players leave - but if the situation gets worse and players become desperate with the economy crashing, they could find a way to leave Russia before their contracts end. It would be shady, but I believe the NHL and organizations would explore every legal and non-legal avenue for bringing players over who wish to defect.

Imagine this - Michkov falls in the draft due to uncertainty, shortly after Russian infrastructure implodes completely, there isn't even a KHL season to be played, and Michkov joins the NHL in 2023

 

[Mrb1p]

Hrabel looks more and more like a sure 1st round pick. If he keeps showing it, I'd be down to pick him between 15 and 20.

-Vasilievski : 19th in 2012
-Oettinger : 26th in 2017
-Knight : 13th in 2019

Not established yet :

-Askarov : 11th 2020
-Cossa : 15th 2021
-Wallstedt : 20th 2021

We have more than one first round pick, and maybe Kent can get more. We'll need to aim for a talented goalie sooner than later.

Theres Bjarnasson and Hrabal that are interesting. Let them drop to the 2nd round and pick an actual important/hard to find player with Floridas.

Sure, Vasilevski, Oettinger, Knight, Fleury, Varlamov, Campbell, Samsonov and Knight are nice but you can't forget that 70% of starting goaltenders are drafted outside the first round. Most aren't developped in house too.

Build a team and worry about the G later. Look at Ullmark, look at Thompson, Shesterkin, Georgiev, Vanecek, jones, Sorokin, etc.

 

[Egresch]

Reinbacher is verrrrry interesting, good for Austria, could turn into a Seider situation.

Also, IMO the Gulyayev Russia problem is not as big a factor as Michkov.

Obviously there is uncertainty in the region, but if you remember before the war, Michkov was already dropping in the rankings because of his contract.

The contract is a bigger factor than the current war.

Michkov is projected to go top-3 and be NHL ready next year, but can't play in the NHL until the 2026-27 season.

Gulyayev projected to go 10-20, but probably won't be NHL ready for 2 years anyway. He's only signed for 2 more years so it is much less of an issue letting him play out his contract and then jump straight to the NHL, like Romanov - considering that would be the normal development trajectory for someone drafted in the 10-20 range. You aren't wasting years of your asset with him.

However, with Russia, things could get significantly worse or better in the blink of an eye. Maybe Putin goes extra crazy and doesn't let any players leave - but if the situation gets worse and players become desperate with the economy crashing, they could find a way to leave Russia before their contracts end. It would be shady, but I believe the NHL and organizations would explore every legal and non-legal avenue for bringing players over who wish to defect.

Imagine this - Michkov falls in the draft due to uncertainty, shortly after Russian infrastructure implodes completely, there isn't even a KHL season to be played, and Michkov joins the NHL in 2023

I am not 100% convinced that Michkov is NHL ready next season. He has small size and does not even play KHL now. But I understand he is very, very, very good prospect, so it might be different in 9 months.